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Vatican rocked by gay orgies and ‘murder’

Philip Willan

April 8 2015, 1:01am, The Times

The allegations are likely to trouble the Pope, who is also facing an ambush in an upcoming synodAlessandra Benedetti/Corbis

The Catholic church in Italy has become embroiled in a scandal, with one priest suspended last night for alleged involvement in gay orgies and another under investigation on suspicion of murdering a parishioner.

A 50-year-old priest from the southern diocese of Taranto was accused of engaging in sex with other priests, using the internet to find new partners and engaging in online sexual encounters, according to the newspaper Corriere del Mezzogiorno.

The allegations were made by a 32-year-old man from Rovigo, in northern Italy, who said that he went to the media after the church authorities failed to take action.

The Archbishop of Taranto, the Most Rev Filippo Santoro, said the priest had been removed from his parish duties over the allegations, which involved behaviour…